It’s the end of summer, a big part of the country is going through major heat waves and droughts, and really the only thing to do other than sit in front of air conditioner with a glass of iced tea is jump in the ocean and surf. Or so I hear. I’ve never surfed, but there are some cool and spiritual surfing news stories and I present them to you with the hopes that the end of your summer will be totally gnarly.
Jewish surfing guru from Hawaii brings hope – and boards – to Gaza surfers An 86-year-old Jewish surfing legend from Hawaii is bringing good vibrations to the Gaza Strip.
Dorian Paskowitz, a retired doctor with 75 years of surfing experience, brought surfboards to Gaza's small surfing community on Tuesday, a gesture he hoped would get Israelis and Palestinians catching the same peace wave.
"God will surf with the devil, if the waves are good," Paskowitz said. "When a surfer sees another surfer with a board, he can't help but say something that brings them together."
Tanned, grinning and shirtless, Paskowitz emerged at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza after handing over 15 boards to a few Palestinian surfers waiting on the other side. He said he was spurred into action after reading a newspaper article about two Gazans who couldn't enjoy the waves because they had only one board between them.
"I said to myself – my God, these guys really love surfing, but it says they have no boards. So I said to my son, come, we'll go to Israel and get them some boards," Paskowitz told AP Television News.
He described his mission as a "mitzvah," Hebrew for a "good deed."
Arthur Rashkovan, a 28-year-old surfer from Tel Aviv, said Paskowitz's project was part of a larger effort called "Surfing for Peace," aimed at bringing Middle East surfers closer together. He said eight-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater, who is of Syrian descent, is expected to arrive in Israel in October to take part in the drive.
"We want Palestinians to enjoy the surfing experience. We believe it brings people together," Rashkovan said. "The idea is for people to forget about the violence and follow the journey to peace on the waves."
Full story For those who are concerned with modesty in light of yesterday’s post, there’s now modest swim and surfwear for women. Check out Wholesomewear Styles. Muslim women can enjoy the surf while donning a Burqini. The Burqini’s creator has this to say about her radical product:
My name is Aheda Zanetti, the woman behind the Ahiida label, migrated to Australia from Lebanon at age of 2. Now 38, married with 4 children. I remember growing up in Australia , posted a lot of challenges for a young Muslim / Arab girl. As an active person who liked to participate in community activities and sport, I found myself restricted due to cultural and religious beliefs. As years went by, I noticed there are younger girls and women that are embracing Islam and obeying their Islamic belief in dressing modestly, in turn, having to miss out on opportunities, and taking part in any sporting activities that Australia has to offer. By facing this on a daily basis and seeing girls struggle with what is around presently, we at Ahiida have found a need to make specialized sportswear to suit the Muslim female.
“Ahiida” represent the following qualities;
Freedom – The freedom to choose to participate in any sporting activity. By providing suitable specialized sports wear, for the active Muslim female, that will give her the freedom to choose in either starting or to continue in any sporting activities and keeping active.
Easy – even though EASY is such a small word but plays a big part in woman's wear. It has to be easy to put on and take off the garment without the complications of pins or ties etc or we will not be encouraged to wear it. Easy to wash and dry to suit the today's lifestyle.
Comfort – Comfort in design and most importantly in fabrics used to make this sportswear comfortable. Every aspect of Ahiida's new, unique designs has been thought threw so that the person wearing it will not think of it, meaning it should be light in weight, no restrictions in movement and very modest with the correct coverage.
There’s a Chabad rabbi in Pittsburgh who bills himself as the Surfing Rabbi. He’s got a blog, a book, and a bumper sticker for sale that says “Forgive me Rabbi, for I have surfed.” He also runs a kosher surfing camp for a week in Costa Rica. For more info on the camp click here. There another kosher surf camp in Southern California, Joe V Surf Camp. You missed it for this summer, but check out their website for registration for next year, plus info on how they combine Torah study with surfing. Totally.